Superman
Superman, birth name Kal-El and adopted name Clark Kent, was one of the most popular heroes on Earth and was a founding member of the Justice League. Powers & Weaknesses Superman possesses the powers of flight, superhuman strength, x-ray vision, heat vision, cold breath, super-speed, enhanced hearing, and nigh-invulnerability. While Superman is immensely strong both in terms of muscle power and ability to take physical punishment, he is not all-powerful. He can be injured, bleed, and conceivably be killed, and has been known to strain and sweat when performing superhuman feats of strength. Superman derives his power from the yellow sun of Earth. Forced under a red sun akin to the red sun of his native homeworld of Krypton, or exposed to red sun radiation, Superman rapidly loses his powers, reverting to the stature of a normal human. (S:TAS - The Main Man, Part II; S:TAS - Solar Power; S:TAS - Legacy, Part II) Aside from red sun radiation, Superman's main weakness is Kryptonite, radioactive shards of his former home planet. Exposure to Kryptonite will rob Superman of his power, and with prolonged exposure, will kill him. (S:TAS - A Little Piece of Home) Superman's only other known weakness is magic, which can injure him as easily it can as any other being. (S:TAS - The Hand of Fate; JL - The Terror Beyond) History Early Life The infant Kal-El was sent to Earth by his parents prior to the destruction of their home planet of Krypton. Kal-El's capsule landed near Smallville, Kansas where he was found by Jonathan and Martha Kent. The Kents adoped the young Kryptonian naming him Clark Kent. Clark began to discover his powers while growing up in Smallville, and was sometimes frustrated by his need to hide them from the public. When Clark encountered members of the future superhero team, the Legion of Super-Heroes, he did not use his powers very much. During this incident he aided the team in stopping Brainiac (from the 30th Century) from preventing Clark to became Superman. However, after he said his goodbyes to the team, they removed all memory on the events of that period from his mind. Nevertheless, this incident dipicted all the strength and courage Clark would imbue as Superman. Hero of Metropolis Striking out on his own, Clark moved to Metropolis and found employment as a reporter for the Daily Planet. An early appearance in costume, saving a young girl, attracted the attention of Lois Lane--as the story replaced one of her own. It was Lois that subsequently gave Clark's costumed persona the name "Superman". Superman gave Lois an exclusive interview, his motivation being to alleviate public fears by ensuring that people knew where he came from and why he was here--or, as his adoptive mother put it, so that people wouldn't think he was like "that nut from Gotham City" Shortly after his arrival in Metropolis, Superman met Lex Luthor, who would become one of his greatest and most persistent adversaries. In the following months, a variety of costumed criminals--some with metahuman abilities--began to appear in Metropolis to oppose the Man of Steel. A by-no-means-complete list would include the Toyman, the Parasite, Live Wire, Metallo, Bizarro, Volcana, and Luminus. Superman would also encounter various beings who, like himself, hailed from other worlds--such as the renowned bounty hunter Lobo and the warrior queen Maxima--or even other dimensions, like the mischievous imp Mxyzptlk. He would even meet a few fellow survivors of Krypton: the Phantom Zone-exiled Jax-Ur and Mala, and--most chillingly--the artificial intelligence known as Brainiac. Even as his roster of enemies continued to swell, Superman would also encounter many individuals whom he would come to consider staunch allies: the Flash, Batman, Dr. Fate, Steel, Aquaman, and the Green Lantern Kyle Rayner. He also discovered, on Krypton's sister world Argos, a young woman who would become not only a loyal ally but also a new (if adoptive) family member--Supergirl. In time, Superman would also come into periodic contact with beings from the planet Apokolips, the realm of the malevolant entity who would become another of the Man of Tomorrow's most dangerous opponents: Darkseid. It was the diabolical Lord of Apokolips who would deal Superman one of his most humbling defeats, when he brainwashed the Man of Steel and manipulated him into leading an assault on Earth. Although Superman recovered himself and defeated Darkseid, the immense damage to his reputation with Earth's populace was harder to repair. It would be some time before Superman could regain the people's trust entirely. In spite of this, he would continue his never-ending battle for truth and justice--although he would soon find that he would not need to continue it alone. Protector of Earth and Other Worlds After responding to the Imperium invasion, Superman joined with Batman, Green Lantern, Flash, Wonder Woman, Hawkgirl and the Martian Manhunter to form the Justice League. After the Thanagarian invasion, Superman and the other founding members (minus Hawkgirl) would reorganize the League and recruit the majority of the Earth's costumed heroes. The Later Adventures Superman was captured by an alien who collected creatures that were the last of their species. Superman managed to escape and brought the creatures he was imprisioned with to his Fortress of Solitude. One of these creatures, a starfish-like parasite, seized control over Superman in the 2050s and held sway over him for several years. Controlled by the parasite, Superman attempted to destroy the Justice League Unlimited and take over the Earth. However, through the efforts of Bruce Wayne, Terry McGinnis and the League, the parasite was defeated and Superman regained control of himself. Terry McGinnis told Superman that he declined his offer to join the Justice League. Proud of Terry, Superman told Terry that he is like Bruce Wayne. Appearances List of Superman Appearances Category:Superheroes Kal-El Category:Justice League members Category:Justice League Unlimited members